Hogwarts Mystery: Bill Weasley Short Story
by kristanella17
Summary: A few short chapters surrounding my MC (Sapphire Phillips) from the Hogwarts Mystery game and her crush on fellow curse breaker, Bill Weasley.
1. Chapter 1

"Come on, Curse Breaker, you should really consider trying out for the team. Hufflepuff could use someone with your flying skills," Andre encouraged as the group of friends sat together at Gryffindor's table in the Great Hall for lunch.

"I don't know, Andre. Joining Quidditch would only take time away from solving the mystery of the next cursed vault," Sapphire replied, hesitantly. In all honesty, she would love to try out for Hufflepuff's Quidditch team, but she knew she had to remain focused on finding her brother. Between regular classes, tutoring with Professor Rakepick, and the occasional detention Sapphire Phillips just didn't have time for any extracurricular activities.

"Ha, Phillips join the quidditch team? Don't you first need a broom first, Phillips?" Merula snidely commented as she passed by the table. Sapphire glared in response while the Slytherin continued on to her table.

"Don't let her get to you, Sapphire," Charlie spoke up from his seat beside her, "I could always talk to Madam Hooch about borrowing a broom if you're really interested."

"Thanks, Charlie," Sapphire smiled up at the ginger, "but unfortunately, I can't."

"Can't do what?" Bill Weasley inquired as he sat down in the empty spot on the bench next to Sapphire. She quickly looked over to the newcomer, surprised by his sudden appearance. Bill had been absent quite often lately due to his studying for the N.E.W.T.S.

"Sapphire is refusing to try out for quidditch despite being one of the best flyers in our year," Penny boasted proudly.

"Quidditch is so time consuming," Bill nonchalantly began. "You'd never have time to search for the rest of the vaults. Besides, anyone can play quidditch but not everyone gets to break a curse at Hogwarts," he finished with a smirk.

"Hey!" Charlie and Andre cried in unison causing the rest of the group to laugh.

"I need to get back to studying; was just taking a quick lunch break. See you out on the grounds later?" Bill asked, lowering his voice as he leaned in a bit closer to Sapphire causing her cheeks to warm slightly.

"Yeah, I'll be there. Don't study too hard," she teased in reply. Bill smiled softly, lifting his hand to gently brush her shoulder as he stood before making his way out of the hall.

Sapphire watched as Bill left. She then turned back to her friends to find them all silently staring at her with knowing smiles of their faces.

"What?" she asked defensively.

"You fancy Bill Weasley," Penny noted, her smile growing in delight.

"What? No!" Sapphire quickly protested, her heart dropping in fear. A light touch to her shoulder caused her to look beside her. The grin on Charlie's face was much softer than the other's.

"It's ok, Sapphire. We won't tell him," Charlie promised.

"Speak for yourself!" Andre excitedly exclaimed. "You two would be perfect together. You're a natural born curse breaker, and Bill is an adventure seeker-!"

"Andre," Penny interrupted, "we are Sapphire's friends. If she wants to keep her crush on Bill a secret then we have to respect that."

"I don't have a crush!" Sapphire quickly retorted, despite it being an obvious lie. Her three friends stared at her in silence for a few moments before Andre couldn't take it anymore.

"Fine, but please remember to change out of your uniform before meeting him later. Maybe something a little more-"

 _"Andre,"_ Sapphire warned. Andre held up his hands in surrender.

"I'm just saying," he mumbled, one side of his lips turned up in amusement.


	2. Chapter 2

After classes that afternoon, Sapphire made her way down to the castle grounds where she was to meet Professor Rakepick and the other chosen curse-breaker apprentices.

"Phillips, you're late," Rakepick noted as Sapphire was the last to arrive. She wouldn't admit it to the professor, but she was late due to taking Andre's advice and stopping by her dorm for a quick change of clothes.

"I'm sorry, Professor. I won't let it happen again," Sapphire responded professionally, causing Merula to snicker under her breath.

"See that it doesn't. Alright, you four, it is my responsibility to make sure you can properly defend yourselves if ever the need arises. I have already taught you how to use Hex-Deflection spells, but now we will learn to perfect your skill. To do this, you will pair off, and take turns using Hexes against your opponent while they attempt to deflect them. I will, of course, observe and provide instruction to correct any mistakes."

"Excuse me, Professor, but you want us to actively try to hex one another?" Sapphire questioned, uncertainty concerning the exercise heavily lining her voice. Before Rakepick could respond, Sapphire felt a light touch on the back of her upper arm. She looked up to see Bill smiling down at her.

"Don't worry, Sapphire. I'll go easy on you," Bill reassured with a hint of a smirk, lowering his hand back down to his side to retrieve his wand.

"Mister Weasley, you will not be doing Sapphire any favors by taking it easy on her," Rakepick condescendingly countered.

"She's right, Bill," Sapphire softly began, looking back up to the older Weasley. "I'm not thrilled about this whole thing, but we have to be prepared for the worst."

Merula stepped forward, "Then I volunteer to partner with Phillips. Despite what she says about giving it her all, we all know she'll hold back from Weasley."

Sapphire's breath caught in her throat. Was her crush on Bill becoming so painfully obvious that even Merula picked up on it, or was it as simple as the two just being close friends? Sapphire hoped for the latter.

"Does this mean I'm paired with Bill?" Jae asked with reluctance, breaking Sapphire away from her thoughts. Rakepick crossed her arms and nodded firmly causing Jae to release a groan of disappointment.

* * *

"Ok, Phillips, give me your best shot," Merula smirked confidently as she held her wand at the ready. Sapphire grinned back, somewhat excited to try besting her nemesis once more. She, too, readied her wand and minded her stance before shouting the first hex.

The two female students were surprisingly evenly matched in their duelling skills. As the exercise continued, though, they both began to grow tired.

 _"Depulso!"_ Sapphire exclaimed, hitting the exhausted Slytherin and sending her flying backwards.

"Good form, Phillips," Rakepick complimented. Sapphire took the opportunity to lower her wand.

"Thank you, Mada-"

 _"Flipendo!"_

Sapphire gasped as the breath was knocked from her chest and she was thrown back onto the ground. The still dueling boys quickly stopped as Bill rushed to assist her.

"That was a cheap shot, Merula," Jae commented, not bothering to hide his disdain for the unsportsmanlike action.

"Are you alright, Sapphire?" Bill asked, his voice full of concern. He kneeled beside her, and rested one hand on her back while the other cupped her shoulder. Slowly, he eased her up into a sitting position so she could regain her breath. She nodded while deeply inhaling.

"Yes, thank you," Sapphire sincerely replied with a weak smile. Bill intently studied her face for any signs of pain as he helped lift her to her feet.

Regaining her composure, Sapphire dusted her pants off and looked back up to Bill to find him glaring at Merula. Following his line of sight, Sapphire looked over to the Slytherin to find her nervously shifting back and forth on her feet.

"What? I was doing you a favor," Merula defended, crossing her arms as she spoke. Sapphire slightly tilted her head to the side as she waited for further explanation.

"Now you know never to lower your wand when assuming a duel is over, Phillips," Merula smirked, slowly regaining her confidence thanks to the amused expression across Madam Rakepick's face.

"That is a fair lesson, Miss Snyde. 10 points to Slytherin. That's enough for today. You are dismissed," Rakepick commented with a faint grin. Both Sapphire and Bill furrowed their brows in frustration, but remained silent.


	3. Chapter 3

The next evening, Sapphire decided to join three of her fellow Hufflepuffs for a study session in the library.

"So, are you prepared for your trip to Knockturn Alley, Sapphire?" Penny asked, taking a break from reading her Potions books. Sapphire looked up at the sound of her name, her stomach tightening from nerves at the mention of the dodgy location she would soon visit.

She had to admit, she was no fearless Gryffindor like a few of her friends, but despite her fears she would boldly face down anything to find her missing brother.

"I'm not sure. Every time I feel like I'm ready, something happens that causes me to question my confidence; like when I let my guard down in front of Merula yesterday. Because of some careless mistake, I lost the duel. What if I make a similar mistake in Knockturn Alley? There could be much worse consequences than just getting knocked down," Sapphire explained.

"Each mistake you make is a lesson learned, and a good student, Sapphire, is always eager to learn," Rowan quietly whispered from across the table with her usual kind smile. Sapphire returned the gesture, thankful for the wise words from her friend.

"Aren't you taking Bill Weasley with you? I'm sure he'd be honored to protect you from any harm that may come your way," Tonks commented nonchalantly with a slight hint of a teasing smirk across her lips, never removing her eyes from the book in front of her. Sapphire's eyebrows raised in surprise at the pink haired girl's remark before slowly turning her attention towards Penny.

"Why do you assume I'm the one who told?" Penny quickly whispered in self-defense. Tonks tried her best to hold back laughter while continuing.

"Told what?" she began, feigning innocence, "I'm just saying, you know those Gryffindors with all that chivalry and whatnot-"

"Speak for yourself," a voice came from behind as Jae and Charlie joined the girls at their table. "Chivalry is a bit overrated if you ask me," Jae continued, reaching over to take Tonks's book from her so he could check out what she was studying. The two had grown rather close over the past school year considering Tonks's love of pranks and Jae's affinity for sneaking in contraband. They made quite the mischievous duo.

"Yeah, luckily we're not all like Jae, here," Charlie joked with a playful grin. The group looked to Jae for his response but he only shrugged in agreeance.

"Actually, Sapphire," Charlie continued, his face growing a bit more serious, "we're here because Bill wants to see you down on the training grounds. He learned a new spell a few days ago and thinks it might be of good use when you two travel to Knockturn Alley."

* * *

Sapphire made her way down to the training grounds to find Bill patiently waiting with a practice target already set up.

"Hey Bill," she greeted as she walked over to him. He smiled in return, walking a few steps to meet her halfway.

"Evening, Sapphire. Sorry for the short notice. I hope you weren't too busy," Bill replied politely. Sapphire slightly shook her head.

"Not really. I was in the library when Charlie found me. He said you wanted to teach me some sort of new spell?" she questioned, one of her eyebrows slightly rising out of curiosity. The warm smile on Bill's face morphed into one a bit more excited.

"The idea came to me after watching you and Merula duel yesterday. I want to teach you the stunning spell, _Stupefy_. I'll feel a lot better going into Knockturn Alley knowing you're capable of casting it on your own if something goes wrong," he explained.

Sapphire's brows furrowed in worry as she took a half step back to look up at Bill's face. His comment definitely did not help with her current state of mind surrounding the situation.

"Do you think something will go wrong?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"What? No!" Bill instantly replied with a look of alarm, fearing he had offended his friend. He stared down at Sapphire who looked up at him with doubtful eyes, and Bill felt the sudden urge to want to calm all her fears. Relaxing, and softening his voice, he spoke.

"It's my job to protect you, Sapphire. This lesson is only a precaution. I have the utmost faith that we will have no problems, but this is just _in case_ ," Bill softly replied, filling the step that Sapphire had put between them only a moment ago. He stared down at her, watching as her body physically released tension with an exhale of a deep breath.

"Ok, let's do this," she smiled up at him, thankful for his reassuring words.

* * *

"Alright, Sapphire, take stance and ready your wand," Bill instructed professionally as he slowly circled his student. Sapphire scoffed.

"You sound like Rakepick," she mumbled in disgust. Bill stopped directly in front of her, standing only inches away as he looked down and smirked.

Sapphire's eyes widened in surprise while her breath caught in her throat. Bill had never been so close to her, and although she had always noticed their slight height difference it felt like in that moment he was towering over her. She couldn't help but feel slightly intimidated.

"Maybe you'll _listen_ to me," he teased in a low whisper, his smirk only growing. Sapphire's lips gaped, taken aback by his comment. Granted, he was right. She rarely listened to Rakepick.

"Excuse you," she retorted in a slightly higher pitch than her normal tone of voice. She narrowed her eyes up at Bill and he couldn't help but chuckle. The two silently stared at one another, a slight grin growing on Sapphire's face before Bill laughed once more and moved to stand a few steps beside her.

"I'll try to sound more like myself if it'll help you focus better," Bill suggested, locking his gaze ahead to the practice target. "Now let's see what you got, Sapphire. Take stance and ready your wand," he repeated, still not looking back to her.

Forcing herself to shake off the newly formed butterflies in her stomach, Sapphire focused on the target a few feet in front of her. She listened intently to every instruction and piece of advice Bill offered.

He watched her every move, trying to figure out what seemed off with her spell casting. Normally, Sapphire carried herself so confidently, but for some reason tonight she seemed tense which only resulted in minor errors with every shot.

"You're distracted," Bill noted from his spot beside her. Without turning, Sapphire glanced at him through the corner of her eye.

"Well it's difficult to concentrate with you constantly staring at me. I feel like you're picking me apart with every failed attempt," she confessed, trying not to let the frustration show in her voice. A sympathetic smile formed across Bill's lips.

"Trust me, I know what it feels like to worry you're being examined for every little flaw. I feel the same pressure studying for the N.E.W.T.s but you're going to have to learn to overcome that."

As Bill spoke, he slowly approached Sapphire.

"You thought my staring made it challenging?" he mischievously grinned, "Try now," he ordered as he planted himself mere centimeters behind Sapphire's body. He was so close she could practically feel the heat radiating from his body.

"Bill, this isn't fair," Sapphire whined causing him to chuckle in response. Suddenly, she felt his hand wrap gently around the forearm of her hand holding her wand. Slowly, he lifted her arm, sliding his hand down to her wrist and over her hand that grasped her wand.

"Your arm is too tense. You have to let the movement flow without restraint," Bill instructed from over Sapphire's shoulder as he casually moved her hand in the correct motion of the spell. Silently, he repeated the movement twice more before releasing her hand.

"Your turn," he directed, still refusing to take a step back. Sapphire closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind. This was way more difficult than any Charms class she had ever attended. She couldn't focus on the soft breathing from over her shoulder or the knowing gaze that would inspect her every movement.

Taking a deep breath, Sapphire shouted.

 _"Stupefy!"_

She hit her target dead center. Turning around in excitement, she looked up to see Bill with a smug grin and his arms crossed across his chest.

"Don't celebrate yet, Sapphire. I want to see you do that ten more times before we call it quits tonight," he challenged. Feeling immensely better after hitting the bullseye, Sapphire grinned confidently.

"Alright, Weasley," she accepted before turning back towards the target. Shot after shot, Sapphire nailed the target. She could hear from behind her as Bill let out a few hums of satisfaction every so often with each spell cast.

"See," Bill said, wearing a proud grin as Sapphire turned back to him, "I knew you could do it. You just needed to clear your mind. I know this might be a lot to ask of you, with everything going on, but try not to stress so much, Sapphire. You're a brilliant witch," he finished as he lightly rested his hands on her shoulders.

Sapphire smiled up at the Gryffindor as butterflies returned to her stomach.

"Thanks, Bill. You're a wonderful teacher. I'm sure you'll score all O's on your N.E.W.T.s this year," she complimented as her cheeks began to stain a light shade a pink. Bill, in return, removed his hands so he could bashfully rub the back of his neck.

"Thanks," he simply replied. The two stood there in an awkward silence before Sapphire shivered due to the dropping night temperature.

"What are we doing? It's going to be freezing soon," Bill joked, trying to laugh off the awkwardness.

"Let's get inside. I'll walk you back to your common room," he offered politely.

As the two walked closely back to the castle, Bill took the opportunity to wrap his arm around Sapphire's shoulders, gently rubbing them in an effort to keep her warm. Her already pink cheeks burned to a deeper shade of red as she mumbled a 'thank you,' into his side, welcoming his warmth.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Sapphire asked as the two made it to the entrance of the Hufflepuff dormitory.

"See you tomorrow, Sapphire," Bill confirmed with a fond smile. The two stared at one another in another short silence before they shared an awkward laugh and Sapphire made her way into the Hufflepuff common room for the night.


End file.
